Lingering Darkness
by CharlieBoneFan
Summary: Ash is traveling through Hoenn with Brock, May, and Max. He has been having problems since he was possessed by the King of Pokélantis. He is easily angered and has been becoming abusive. Now his friends are telling him to figure out how to control his dark side. What will he do? Hints of Pokéshipping at the end. One-Shot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

_**Italics: Thoughts unless showing a time jump. Normal text is Ash's and bold is the King of Pokélantis's.**_

**A/N: This story takes place a week after the episode 'Battling the Enemy Within' but let's just say that Ash already got all the Frontier Symbols and the offer to train to become a Frontier Brain.**

Ash's POV

"Ash?" May asked me softly.

"What?!" I snapped. She jumped a little at my tone.

"Never mind" she said quietly. After our exchange of words and a few more hours of walking, the gang and I stopped walking through the forest to set up camp. It was getting late out. The sun was setting, and I was starving.

"Hey, Brock? Is the food almost ready? I'm hungry" I complained while sitting on my sleeping bag.

"It'll be done in a few minutes" Brock said to me while chuckling a little.

"Great" I said before sighing and laying down on my sleeping bag. I put my hands behind my head and just rested.

"Ash? Ash?" May called to me while nudging my leg lightly with her foot.

"Hmm?" I hummed, opening one eye to look at her.

"Why don't you get your butt up and help us? We need to set up the table and get some fire wood" May said with a hint of agitation in her voice.

"I don't feel like it" I moaned.

"Too bad. Stop acting like a baby and go fetch the fire wood" May huffed.

"What?!" I hissed. I bolted straight up and stood up. I stomped up to May and towered over her. "Don't tell me what to do! You are not the boss of me!" _**Nobody tells me what to do.**_

"I can tell you what I want to! You need to help out once in a while!" May shouted.

"You want me to help out? Here!" I yelled back. I walked up to the table Max was trying to set up. I shoved Max out of the way, and he landed on the ground with a thud. _**Get out of my way.**_

"Owww" Max said while rubbing his head.

"Hey, don't push my brother like that!" May shouted. I ignored her and picked up the small foldable table. I raised it above my head and looked at May. _**Throw it!**_ She stared at me in horror and dove to the side as I threw the table at her.

"Ash?! What are you doing? You need to calm down. You could have seriously hurt May" Brock said while rushing to my side. He put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I just shrugged it off. _He wants to help me, what a good friend._

"Don't touch me!" I screamed. I put my hand on his shoulder and shoved him away. I stormed up to May and grabbed her wrist. She tried to jerk it away, but I held on tight. Tears streamed down her face. _She deserves this. I think._

"Ash, stop it! Stop it!" she cried.

"Let go off my sister" Max said while running up to me. He tried to punch me, but I held him back with my free arm.

"Make me" I growled. _**Runt.**_

"Pikaaachuuu!" I turned around at the sound of my partner charging up. A thunderbolt was coming straight at me. I tried to run, but I was too late. I was hit dead on with the thunder attack. _**Not again.**_

"Ahhhhhh" I screamed before collapsing to the ground. My friends ran up to me before I blacked out. I woke up to see my friends huddled around me.

"Ash? Are you alright?" Brock asked me. He grabbed my arm and helped me up.

"Yeah, I think so. What happened?" I asked.

"Well, you were yelling at us and throwing things. You know, another time you let your anger get the best of you. Then Pikachu shocked you, and you passed out" Max summarized. I glanced at them apologetically.

"Sorry, guys. I don't know what's wrong with me. I haven't felt like myself since that King of Pokélantis took over my body" I confessed. They all glanced at each other, then at me again.

"We forgive you…again. But next time, don't let something as silly as getting firewood or anything get the best of you. It's not the end of the world when you help out.

"Right" I said. I heard a little squeak in front of me on the ground. I looked down to see Pikachu. I knelt to the ground and rubbed him between the ears. "Thanks, buddy."

"Chaaa" Pikachu sighed out at the pleasure of being petted.

"Well, let's eat then get some rest. We still have a long journey ahead of us" Brock concluded. We all agreed and went to go eat.

_The next day, in the afternoon…_

"Wow, Ash. You did really well in that battle. I wish I were a trainer, so I could be strong too" Max praised. I started rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment. I did just run into some random guy and battle him then win. An unexpected challenge and win, without even training for it.

"It was nothing" I said sheepishly.

"Yeah, you're right" May said nonchalantly.

"Huh?" I said dumbfounded. _What did she mean?_

"You only won because that Pokémon you battled was just a baby. It was only a few weeks old. It was just starting out" May said. "Anyone could have seen that."

"What?!" I said.

"Come on, Ash. You and I both know it. It was a three on three battle and you were losing until his last Pokémon turned out to be a baby. Pikachu was almost down for the count until that baby Pokémon came out" May said simply.

"Are you saying that I didn't do well?" I asked coldly.

"Yeah" May said while sticking her tongue out playfully. She giggled and started laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked. _She thinks she's making this funny by making a joke about it, but it isn't working._

"You should see the look on your face" May said.

"I did great in that battle. I am strong, and you know it. If you want to make fun of my battling, than maybe we should have one and see who wins" I challenged May.

"Nah" she said. Brock and Max looked at me uneasily.

"What?!" I barked. They shook their heads and held their hands up.

"Nothing" they said simultaneously.

"Good" I growled. _**Those weaklings look scared.**__ They should be. I am the choosen one._ "May, we are not finished talking about this. The only reason you don't want to battle me is because you are too afraid to."

"Am not" she said.

"Yes you are. You do those stupid little contests. They don't show off a Pokémon's strength. They only show off how they look. I know you are weak. Your Pokémon can't do anything but show off pretty tricks. Contests are for the weak, vulnerable, and useless. Battles are for the strong, brave, and important. You are not important. I am" I growl out. _Battles are better than contests. __**Battles are what gain people respect and power.**_ May is staring at me with wide eyes. She draws in a sudden breath and starts crying. "Now, you're a cry baby." May looks at me and closes her eyes. Her hand lifts up a little from her side and she slaps me across the face. My head jerks to the side from the force of the blow, but I keep the same expression on my face the whole time. Anger. I swiftly turn my head around to look at May again. I raise my hand to strike her back. _This is so wrong __**but so right. **__**Do it**__…no don't._ _I can't hurt her. She is my friend. __**You must.**_ I bring my arm down but Max jumps in my way. He takes the blow for his sister. I glare down at him as he rubs his cheek on the ground. "Next time, stay out of the way" I hiss. I trudge past them and continue walking. I make my way into a clearing and start setting up my sleeping bag. I curl up in it and take a nap. I wake up to a heavy weight on my chest. I raise my head to see Pikachu curled up in a ball on top of my sleeping bag.

"Everybody went to sleep" a voice said from my right. I sit up to see Brock poking at the fire with a stick. The sky was black with stars starting to show.

"What time is it? Did I miss dinner?"

"Yeah, and it's probably around nine thirty. I have some food over here on a plate for you. I'm going to head to bed too. Put the fire out when you're done" Brock said sadly. He got up from the log he was sitting on and crawled into his sleeping bag. _I wonder what has him so sad._ I crawled out of my sleeping bag and started to eat. Once I finished, I put out the fire and went back to sleep.

_The next morning…_

I sit up from my spot on the ground and stretch my arms. I look around to see that everything is packed, and everyone is ready. I scramble up from my spot and gather up my things. "Guys, I'm ready" I say but nobody notices that I even got up. I walk up to them and tap May on the shoulder. She jumps about five feet in the air. "Hey, guys. I'm ready to get a move on" I say cheerily. They all look at me sadly. "What's wrong?"

"Ash, we've decided that today is goodbye" May said with a weak smile. She had her arms wrapped around herself.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"We're going to split paths" Max says.

"Why?" I ask once again about ready to panic.

"Ash, ever since a week ago, when the King of Pokélantis took you over, you haven't been yourself. You have become angry easily and thrown things. You have even hit Max, even though you were aiming for me" May explained softly. _I will not cry. I will not cry._ "Max and I are going to head home to see our Mom and Dad. Brock is going to go to the next town before he goes back to Kanto for a while. We'll always be your friends but until you figure out how to keep that darkness inside you under control, we don't want to see you for a while. Sorry and goodbye." May said before grabbing Max and running away. I saw a few tears hit the ground before she disappeared.

"Yeah, same here man. You'll always be my best friend. I would love to keep travelling with you no matter what but under these circumstances, I think you need some time to cool down and think. See you back home" Brock said before waving and walking away. Pikachu and I just watched him go. _I wonder if that's why Brock was sad last night. They all must have discussed this while I was sleeping._ I sighed and sat down on a log. My body shook and I started crying. My body heaved. Pikachu sat beside me with his ears drooping.

"I've really messed up and done some bad things, huh?" I said to my partner.

"Chuuu" Pikachu responded while nodding his head slightly.

"I'm sorry. I swear that I never meant to do those things. I think that there is still a part of the King of Pokélantis in me. I think that I will have to learn how to control it. When I get angry, I feel like I want to do something really bad and hurt people. It's like someone is telling me what to do. I feel like I want to be evil" I whispered to Pikachu but mostly myself. _There is a lingering darkness inside of me. __**Yes, there is and you should be proud. It gives you power. People listen to you. You like that.**_

"Pika" Pikachu said gloomily.

"I know. Maybe I need someone to help me control my anger and this part of the spirit inside me. I need someone who can deal with me and stick by my side no matter what. Someone who is strong and ready for anything thrown at them. Who do I know that is like that?" I said to myself. _Tracy…no. Mom…never. She would get upset at the things I could possibly say. Professor Oak…nah. Gary…no. He is getting better but he still mostly cares about himself. Who else is there? Hmmm…I know! Misty. She already has a temper...which is sort of cute sometimes. She could help me control my darker side. We fought all the time. She has even hit me to slap sense in me. But I never hit her. What if I did and didn't mean too? What if I couldn't control myself? Can she take a hit and still stay by my side to help me? She has to. I believe in her. She is my best friend besides Brock. I would never mean to hurt her. I would be devastated if I saw her cry. I-I-I love her._

"Pika?" Pikachu said while pulling at my pant leg.

"Huh?" I said slightly dazed. I looked down to see my buddy. "Oh, sorry. I was just thinking but I know what we're going to do about that dark side I tend to have. We're heading back home. We're going to Cerulean City!" I said while pumping a fist in the air. I stretched my arm towards Pikachu and he climbed up my arm and onto my shoulder. "Let's go" I shouted. I stood up and started running to the nearest town to get on the nearest ferry back to Kanto. _I'm going home._

**A/N: Okay, I just love Pokémon stories with the King of Pokélantis in them. Oh, and when the King of Pokélantis thinks stuff, Ash thinks that he is thinking those things. He thinks that those are his thoughts. Review, please. Comment about anything. Thanks for reading.**


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